Sugar and Spice
by ToWriteForLove
Summary: "I have embraced many memories in my life, but the one I admire the most was when I met you." Sugar is a small town girl that runs a local restaurant, she tries to keep up with love life, past loves, and a child to take care of. Can Sodapop Curtis fix what's broken? bad summary some language nd mention of sex
1. Chapter 1 S&S

Chapter 1:

POV: Ponyboy

"Aw, man come on Pony," Johnny yelled exasperated. For the last twenty-five minutes we've been trying to get me a girlfriend. But whenever a cute girl would go by I'd give some stupid answer as to why i can't date her. "Her hairs too blonde. She's to tall. Not tall enough" those were just some of the lame excuses. I was about to tell him to give it up when a couple of girls walked up to us, one with a bright yellow and orange box.

"Hey Ponyboy," the girl I recognized to be Lauren Smith greeted.

"Hey Lauren, What'cha got there?" I said pointing to the interestingly colored box.

"Oh nothing, just some cupcakes from a restaurant that opened up last week. They said the quickest way to a boys heart is through his stomach you know," she said winking and smiling at me.

"I didn't know that, what's the shop called?" I said ignoring her last gesture. I ain't got time for a soc. They're all about images and appearances. I could do without that. Her smile faltered for a sec but then regained it's position.

"It's called **Sugar and Spice**, It's greaser friendly and everything" She said in a semisweet tone. The bell rung for school to let out and everyone began packing up. I rose and looked over at a quiet Johnny, "Come on Johnny, let's go." he nodded and got up. The other girl who had remained silent most of the time finally spoke up. "Here Johnny, take a cupcake," she opened the box and took out a white cupcake with chocolate chips on it. He smiled and took the cupcake from her hand and we left. "See, she likes you!" He yelled, I grinned. Johnny smiled and looked forward.

"Do you want half of it or not?" he asked knowing the answer. He split the cupcake in half and handed me a piece. When I bit into it I tasted pure flavor. "Whoa." I said with a mouthful of cupcake. Johnny nodded, meaning he felt the same bliss I did. When we finally got to my house we went in.  
>" Wow Pony, have a fight with cake and lose?" Two-bit said as we walked in the living room. Dally was there too. I noticed I still had bits of cupcake around my mouth. I took my sleeve and wiped it off.<p>

" Naw, just had this great cupcake from a new place called **Sugar and Spice**. Just opened up too." I said sitting on the recliner. "Really? Haven't heard about it. Wait, you ain't got any money. How'd you get one?" he said looking confused. " A girl gave one to Johnny," I said winking at him. "Johnny Cakes! You got yo'self a girlfriend? Hot dog, give'er a kiss for me will ya?" He said hugging Johnny. Johnny blushed, but didn't say anything. " Leave the kid alone Two-Bit" Dally stuck up for Johnny like he always did. Before Two-bit could go on with his rant about Johnny's new "girlfriend" Soda and Steve came in. "Hey soda, I called."

"Hey Pony, where's Darry? I got some good news."

"I think he's out back." Two-bit said before I could answer. Soda ran to the back door and yelled for Darry. In a few seconds we were all in the living room. "Whats the big news Soda?" Darry said, he must have been annoyed Soda interrupted whatever he was doing because he looked pissed.

"I got a raise!" I had never seen Soda this excited. We all said our woohoos and whoops, and patted Soda on the back. " I wanna do somethin' nice you know? For everybody, got any ideas?" I quickly glanced at Johnny. We were thinking the same thing. "**Sugar and Spice**" we said together. Everyone looked at us with bemused expressions. "What?" Soda questioned.

"It's a new restaurant, it's nice but I heard it's greaser friendly." I said hoping he would say yes.

"Oh yea, I heard about that place."" Darry added.

"OK! We'll go there tomorrow. It'll be Saturday and Muscles over there will be off too. It's perfect."

Everyone agreed to meet here and we'd leave from here to **Sugar and Spice**. I couldn't wait for tomorrow.

**So hey guys, yea this is a pretty bad first chapter, i'm not used to writing from a boys pov. I needed a way to get them there. But I do think as I go to Sugar's (Melinda) pov it'll get a little better.**


	2. Chapter 2 S&S

Chapter 2

POV: Sugar

_You can't run Mel. I know where you are. I will find you. I will hunt you down and kill you. Do you hear me? Even if I have to search the whole country, I will get you!_

I shot up from my bed drenched in sweat. I started panting and put my right hand over my heart trying to regulate my breathing. It was just a dream I told myself, a very real, very terrifying dream. I looked over at the clock on my bedside table. I sighed, 8:00 A.M. I threw my legs over the edge of my bed and walked to the bathroom. I looked at myself. I wasn't the most beautiful but I was a looker. I ran my fingers through my blonde hair and splashed my face and icy blue eyes with water to wake me up. The house i shared with my brother was really quiet when he wasn't here. I went to the kitchen and got a glass of orange juice, well actually, i drunk it straight from the carton. I noticed a small note on the counter. It was from my brother, Noah.

**_Hey Sugar,_**

**_I had to go to a meeting at Curly's house. Sorry but i wont be able to pick Lilly up until about 9. I hope that's ok. Anyway, have a good day at work and stay out of trouble._**

**_Signed,_**

**_Noah_**

**_P.S Quit drinkin' from the orange juice carton!_**

I smiled down at the letter and walked out of the kitchen and into Lilly's room. Lilly is my three year old daughter. She looks like me, same icy blue eyes and blonde hair, but younger. I love her with every part of me. Some say "I can't believe you're 18 with a three year old." Only I know the real story. But, I still wouldn't trade her for anything. I went over to her bed and kissed my daughters forehead. "Lilly it's time to wake up sweetie. We have to get ready." She looked up at me through sleepy eyes and nodded. I picked her up and took her to her closet. I looked through the variety of color. I finally settle on a pink polka dotted dress. I sat her down and put on her clothes. Then I grabbed her brush and brushed her hair back putting a pink bow in it. She giggled and played with the bow. I smiled, and then I realized I still had to get dressed. I went back into my room and picked out a white button down shirt and a black skirt that reached my knees. I tied a ribbon in my hair and grabbed my purse. I looked for my keys. I finally found them and saw Lilly hiding under the coffee table. I pretended not to see her and started walking towards the door. "Well, I can't find Lilly so… I guess I'll go now." Her face brightened up. "Mommy don't forget me!" she yelled crawling from under the table. I held my arms out and she jumped into them. I laughed and took her out to the car. I buckled her into her seat belt and got into the driver's side. I started the car and we drove to the restaurant.

We drove for five minutes until the flashing pink and red **Sugar and Spice** sign was in view. I looked over at a silent Lilly. I smiled at the little girl that had again been sleeping. When i pulled into the the diners parking lot, i saw the red closed sign and sighed. The closed sign meant i'd have to open up and deal with the hungover drunks from the night before. I sighed again and climbed out of the car. I walked around the front of the car, opened Lilly's door, and picked her up, careful not to wake her. I closed the door to the car with my foot and walked to the diners door unlocking it. I walked through, making the little bell overhear chime. I hated that thing, it was really annoying. I sat Lilly down on a stool with a back to it. I went into the kitchen and started heating everything up and taking out ingredients for the day. I had just began to mix the pancake batter when i heard the bell to the door ring. "Good mornin' Mr. Lowrance, how y'all doin' today?" i called from the kitchen to the the 3 men that had just entered.

"Good sugar! Can we take some of those great blueberry pancakes, scrambled eggs, and some coffee?" he called back with a smile on his aged face.

"Sure thing, how many stacks?" (where i'm from a 1 pancake is 1 stack) i asked pouring in the blueberries.

"Hmmm four's good for each of us." he said finally deciding on the number.

"You got it." i smiled back at him. Mr. Lowrance was a regular. He ordered the same thing everyday. And Lilly absolutely adored him. She thought his mustache was the best thing on this side of Tulsa.

"Why good morning Lillian." he spoke to Lilly using her full name.

"Hello, Mr. Low-ants." she said mispronouncing his name.

"And how are you this morning?"

"I'm good, but Mr. Bunny is ti-**yawn**-red" she said yawning and pointing to her stuffed rabbit.

"Well, he better get some sleep then." he said laughing at the three year olds antics.

"Here you go i said placing the pancakes on the counter.

"Thank you sugar."

"You're welcome" i said smiling. Mr. Lowrance was the only customer i liked. For the rest of the day people came in and out. Socs ordered skimpy things because of diets. And greasers ordered what they could afford. Every now and then a greaser or soc would hit on me... until they found out i had a kid that is. Lilly ran around all day. Coloring and having breakfast with Mr. Bunny. She's even try and talk to the people that came in. She's a very social girl, just like i was. We were just getting into the dinner shift when a group of greasers walked in.

POV: Soda

We walked into the diner Pony said a girl recommended him. It smelled nice but i figured we'd have to taste the food to really make a judgement. The place was pretty packed. I didn't think we'd be able to find anywhere to sit. There was an open booth at the end of the diner. "Hey, guys" i said pointing to it. We made our way through the crowd pushing past people. When we got there there was a girl with blonde hair cleaning it. Her hair was in a ponytail but was still pretty long. She looked a little like... Sandy. My heart began to beat faster. What if it was her? I had been waiting to hear from her for so long now. I walked over and tapped her on the shoulder, and she turned around...

POV: Sugar

I was cleaning the table when i felt a light tap on my shoulder. I turned around to see who it was. They boy looking at me was smiling. "Do i know you?" I asked when i turned around. When i looked up at him his smile quickly turned into a frown. "Sorry i thought you were someone else." he said in a heartbroken tone. He was gorgeous, to gorgeous to have such a sad face.

"Oh, sorry to disappoint then," i said giving a half smile trying to make him feel better. When it didn't work i gave up. "Here, you guys can have this table. I'll be back in a minute to take your orders" i pointed at the newly washed table. As i left they sat down. I couldn't help but wonder about why he sounded so sad to see me. I shrugged it off and got back to work. They ordered dinner and dessert. Some of my home-style cupcakes. They were made from scratch. Might be the best if you ask me. It was around nine-o-clock when my brother arrived to pick up Lilly.

"Hey Sugar!" he yelled from across the diner attracting attention. Even the guys from before looked up at us.

"Hey Noah," i said picking up a dish and placing it in the container. "I'm just finishing up here, i'll go get Lilly." I walked into the back room and put up the container. I picked up Lilly off of the couch and put her over my shoulder. I carried her out into the busy diner. The guys from the table were looking at me wide eyed. I guess they were noticing the similarities between me and Lilly. My brother frowned. "What?" i asked genuinly confused.

"I thought i told you to stop with the bows and pink?" he said taking her from me "It's no way for a greaser to look" he said smiling at her.

"And i thought i told you, she was my daughter and she ain't no greaser" i said poking him.

"Alright sis, whatever you say, _you're a greaser and she wont accept it_," he whispered the last part but i still heard it. I let it slide, only so he could get her to bed.

**1 HOUR LATER**

"Alright bye Laney!" I called to the other girl working the night shift. I went outside and tried to star my car. Just my luck. Dead. "Damnit!" i shouted getting out. I'd have to walk then. It wouldn't take long. I was walking when i saw the greasers from earlier. If i didn't know any better i'd say they were stalking me. I walked past the guy from before. He still had that sad look on his face. We brushed shoulders and mumbled a quick 'sorry' before i was alone again. I sighed as i saw my house come up. I went in and straight to Lilly's room. She was asleep in her crib. I kissed her forehead and closed the door, leaving it cracked a little bit. I went back to my room and changed into my pajamas. I turned off the light and climbed into bed. I spent what felt like forever thinking about that guy with the sad look. I don't know why but i hoped i would see him again.


	3. Chapter 3 S&S

_ I often find me asking my self, "Who are you?" As weird as this may sound, I try to avoid me. I mean, who am I? It was a simple question, without a simple answer. Sure you may be able to give out answers left and right. But me, I'm difficult. You see, I'm not sure what I am. Don't take it the wrong way. The last time I told someone that they thought I meant I was an alien. That really didn't turn out to well. I have even had times where I have confused myself to the point of where I annoyed me. Take this for example, I love helping, but I hate people. I mean, does that even make sense? Of course it doesn't because I'm weird. Again I say, it's not that simple! Of course I wish it were that easy. Let's say, I'm like a puzzle with missing pieces. Never to be completed until those pieces are found. Never living up to potential but to well put together to stop looking for that missing piece. Yeah, that's me. Melinda the broken puzzle. Sounds kind of pathetic when you put it like that. Just more complications from the world known as Sugar. One thing I do know, is that I must be a great liar. Because for some reason I've always been able to convince myself that I don't know much about me as a person. Myself would say to me "You're kidding right? You must know something about yourself, like are you nice, do you like green? Hows your job, is it fun?" And I tell myself, I say "Self I know where I've been. And I think I know where I'm going. But as for who I am now? It's complicated." And some of you might be thinking "It's really not that hard a question, WHO ARE YOU?" But truthfully, simplicity no longer holds a place in my life. Had it ever existed in the first place? I can't really be sure. But when people ask me now "Who are you?" I reply with a simple " I'm Sugar, who are you?"._

"Sugar!" Rosie said snapping me out of my day dream. "Girl, your shifts over. You can go now." she said smiling. I laughed and thanked her. I picked up my bag and headed out into the damp streets. It had been raining for hours and the road and sidewalk were littered with puddles. I had left Lilly at home today because Noah said a few of his "friends" were coming over and he'd be home all day. I knew by "friends" he meant greasers. It was probably another meeting, rumble related. I sighed. To me rumbles were stupid. I mean, it's pointless really. It's just for when boys get bored and decide to show dominance over each other. Stupid boy stuff. I saw my house coming into view and quickened my pace. I'd be thankful when I could have time to get off of my feet. I walked up the wet steps to our porch. Making sure to be careful not to slip. I unlocked the door and turned the knob to be hit with a mixture of laughs and howls. I smiled and walked into hall. I hung up my coat. I went to my room and changed into a black tank top and jean shorts. That's when I heard a loud sneeze come from Lilly's room. I walked into her room to find her wet and watching TV. I picked her up and felt her forehead. "Awe, you're burning up" I said frowning. "What happened, why are you wet?"

"Uncle Noah let me play outside today," she said grinning from ear to ear. I smiled at her lack of understanding. Then my smile was quickly replaced with a frown again. He had let her outside without a coat, and in the rain no less. I took out a blue night gown set and took her to the bathroom. I started to run a bath. She splashed around in the luke warm water. When finished, I dried her off and dressed her in her dry clothes. I went back into her room and grabbed her blanket and wrapped it around her. I took her into the kitchen and got out the thermometer. It read 108 degrees. I kissed her forehead and carried her out of the kitchen and into the living room. I sat on the chair and rocked her in my arms. "Hey Sugar," Noah said greeting me.

"Hey," I said looking up finally noticing who were in our house. I wasn't just Curly's gang. There were some other guys too. "Whose your friends?" I asked looking at him quizzically.

"That's Dallas Winston, Steve Randle, Two-Bit Mathews, Johnny Cade, and Ponyboy, Darry, and Sodapop Curtis." he said gesturing to each one as he called their names. They all said their own small 'hellos' and 'heys'. I waved back. Then when I looked over to the one named Sodapop he looked as surprised to see me as I was to see him. "That your kid?" the one called Two-Bit asked snapping my attention from the handsome boy. "Yea, her names Lilly. And she's sick because someone let her play outside in the freezing rain." I said putting emphasis on the someone and eying Noah. He mouthed a small oops. "Anyway, why are you guys here?" I said nodding over to Curly. "Oh wait, let me guess. Dance lessons?" I asked. Curly smiled. He always had that about him. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't keep a straight face around me.

"Can it Sugar, It's official gang business. And last time I checked, you're not in the gang" Brandon said glaring at me. He never did like me. That's why it was so fun to make him mad.

"Have you forgotten dear Brandon? This IS my house too. And, I don't know... I still say Noah would make a great ballerina. What do you think Curly-fry?" I asked, with mock interest.

"I think he's more of a twist kind of guy" he said laughing extra hard at the nickname I had given him when I was 9. "Yea, I like the mashed potato myself. But whatever floats your boat Noah." I said giving him a wink. We all laughed , except Brandon because he's no fun at all.

"No but really, Mel, we're discussing the rumble set in two weeks." Curly said becoming more serious. So I was right after all. I winced at the name 'Mel' nobody called me that anymore besides Curly. I hated my name. Melinda Elizabeth Lacey. MEL. I know, I know. You thought it was short for Melinda right? Yea my parents did that on purpose. A play on words type deal.

"Oh, really? Well, win one for the greaser will ya'?" I said ruffling his hair. "Ewwww, too much grease."

"That's why I'm a greaser Mel," he said slapping my hand away. I smiled at his hatred for people toughing his hair. It was a common motto greasers shared. NO ONE TOUCHES THE HAIR.

"So Sodapop and Ponyboy eh?" I said making a face at the weird names.

"Yea, our dad was original," the one named Ponyboy said.

"You're kinda young to be a greaser ain't ya'?"

"No, I'm a greaser. These are my buddies."

"Well said" I said smiling.

"You look kinda young too, you go to the high school?" he asked.

"No I can't, gotta work, and take care of Lilly." I smiled down at her playing with her curls. "How bout you Soda? You work?" I said looking at the quiet boy.

"Yea at the DX." he answered shortly.

"Oh really? Maybe you could take a look at my car. I've been havin' trouble with it lately. I'll stop by after work one day." I said with an open smile.

"Yea, that would be great." he said grinning a toothy grin. His smile was stunning. Like one you see on them models or movie stars. With shiny white white teeth to match. For lack of better words, he was somethin' else.

They went back to talkin' about the rumble and I zoned out playing with Lilly. From the bits and piece I gathered they were gonna get the **Woodside Chiefs** in to it too. More boys to fight a pointless "war". But part of them said that the Chiefs always got too carried away bringing bats and switchblades. It should never go that far in a rumble. Just punches, that's the fair way to do it. Just when they were in the heat of their argument Lilly started having a coughing fit. You could tell she was in pain because she started crying. And when I say crying, I mean howling. The whole house was filled with her wails. I frowned once more. Noah scowled and turned to me, "Shut that kid up!" he screamed.

"It's your fault anyway!" I yelled back at him. I was frantically rocking her by then. Trying anything to get her to calm down. I was in the kitchen trying to soothe her with milk but that didn't work. I started to slowly rock her and started to sing.

_Golden slumbers kiss your eyes,  
>Smiles await you when you rise.<br>Sleep,  
>Pretty baby,<br>Do not cry,  
>And I will sing a lullaby.<em>

Cares you know not,  
>Therefore sleep,<br>While over you a watch I'll keep.  
>Sleep,<br>Pretty darling,  
>Do not cry,<br>And I will sing a lullaby.

After I was finished I sighed. That song always left an empty feeling in the pit of my stomach. It always made me sad to sing it. But, it was the only song that would get Lilly to sleep. I looked down upon Lilly and noticed she was asleep. I continued to rock her and went back into the living room. Noah was sitting on the couch staring at me with a distant and hurting look, the same look I probably had on my face then too. I faintly smiled and tried to get his attention. "Noah?" He responded with a simple "Hmmm?"

"I'm gonna go put Lilly down, I'm heading off to bed too. Night. G'night guys." I said going into the hall. I only heard the rambles of goodnights before they were silent to me. I put Lilly down in her bed and kissed her on her head. When I got back into my room and under the covers I did something I hadn't done in years. I cried.

**SO GUYS! Whad'ya think? Hmmmmmm? TELL ME NOW! :D jk but sorry about the wait, school and shizz. But, My friends do not fret. For I have brought you an extra long chapter! It is at least double what I wrote last time for it was 4 pages instead of just 2. Did you like the little cliff hanger there? I promise (sorta) I will tell you why that happened in the next chapter. TAH-TAH FOR NOW! (FIXED GANG ISSUE! *Sheesh, i read the book in 8th grade nd cudnt remember all of the gangs from it* the woodside chiefs are a REAL gang (or were) anyway, they are NOT in the book, but there ya go.. be happy. be healthy -.-)**


	4. Chapter 4 S&S

**Dear ppl, My characters are ALL often Mary Sue-ish or depressing, because I like sweet ppl and I have S.A.D (seasonal affective disorder so really happy or really sad are the only emotions I feel frequently)... if you do not like them, I advise you NOT to read my story. Because commenting tht they are Mary Sue or depressing will not make them any less Mary Sue or depressing... Thnx for you're input but I like them the way they are. (I think Mary Sue stories are cute *personally*) Ok... on with the chapter I guess.**

**POV:**

**Sugar**

Depressed. Dejected. Sad. Anyway you say it, it's something getting you down. I woke up that morning depressed. I hadn't even gotten up. It seemed like everything around me seemed to send me even more spiraling into my dark abyss. The walls, depressing. The desk, depressing. Even the shadow of myself seemed to make me sigh in anguish. All because of one person, my dad. We used to have a silly argument every night that, when he's drunk enough, can leave a whole person feeling bitter and empty. It even burned my throat to argue with him. It was repetitive, almost like a broken record. The things he would say hit hard, like the deadliest venom being spat from lifeless lips. It wasn't the the words themselves that made me feel this way. It was the way he said them. He blamed me for everything. Bills, why we didn't have nice things, why mom left, all of it was MY fault. I could hear Noah drunkenly stumbling around downstairs, though I think he was more hung over than drunk. Those memories were so vivid it scared me. I sighed and lifted the covers from over my head. I turned my head in the direction of my clock. 7:00 PM. I hadn't move from that spot all day. I rose from my bed and drug myself to my closet. There wasn't much to chose from though. In the end I chose a blue tank top, cut off jean shorts, and a light gray jacket., it was spring after all. I bent over and ruffled my hair. When I came back up I looked into the mirror on the wall. I hated the way I looked. Bleach blonde hair with a pale complexion do not mix. Adding onto my paleness, my skin had horrible freckles everywhere. I wasn't ugly. Just really weird looking. I guess my moms features didn't quite go well with my dads features. I hoped Lilly would grow up to look prettier. I walked downstairs to find my brother sprawled over the couch. He was so much like dad it made me sick. My father was such a bitter man. Hoping that the liquor would make him feel better. Liquor is a depressant. So drinking it to make yourself less depressed is like fighting gravity with a 50 pound weight on your shoulders, pointless. "Where're you goin'? What aboun Lilla?" he half screamed at me. "Outside, unlike you, I'm sober enough to walk around in public, and she's as Josies house havin' a play date with Corin." I snapped back. He eyed me as if to say something else but noting came out. I took this as my opportunity and left.

I breathed in the fresh air of Tulsa. It wasn't hot but the whether could make your clothes stick to your skin. I come out now and again to take in my surroundings. Tree. Rock. Greasers. The usual. Only today the greasers were cheering and decked out in an even more extreme supply of hair gel. This meant one of two things. 1) Someone was moving away, highly unlikely because they were all dirt poor. Or 2) there was going to be a rumble that night. Yea, I'd put my money on option two. And if greasers were out today, so were tho Socs. I'd have to avoid them so I wouldn't be mistaken for a grease bunny. That limited my choices of where to go today. I walked around mindlessly for about three hours. Or what felt like three hours. It had gotten darker and the streetlights were the only source of light on the long street. Yep, when the lights go on, it's time for the rumble. I made my way home. There are two things that happen a this time of night. 1) Girls, like me, get snatched and are never seen again or 2) Caught by Socs, which I guess are pretty much the same damn thing. That's what happens when you look like a greaser. It had started to rain pretty hard. So much for the warm weather.

I was three blocks from my house when I saw it. A fancy car, a candy apple red Pontiac GTO. The tell tale sigh of a bunch of Socs. OK then... I guess this would make it two-for-two huh? They pulled up beside me and one leaned out of the window. "Hey girl, what's a greasy girl like yourself doin' outside on a rumble night? You should know better." He said to close to my face for comfort. I looked him directly in the eye. "You would hope I would. Either way I ain't no greaser, I don't want trouble, and I would kindly like you to back up." I said leaning away from him more and more with each word. I heard foot steps rounding thee corner. I silently prayed for them to hurry along. "You know, we should take her for a little drive. What'ya say guys?" he said eying his buddies in the car. They responded with yeas. The footsteps were getting closer as they stepped out of the car. I quickened my prayer. When one of the guys reached out to me and grabbed my arm I heard the voice of an angel. "Hey!" I knew exactly whose voice it was. "Back up real slow like." The guys put their hands up and got into the car smirking. "See ya around," the one in the passenger seat called back to me.

"You okay sugar?" He said turning me towards him. "Yea," was all I could say.

"Come on, ima take you back to the DX station, you've gotta get out of the rain" he said putting his jacket over my shoulders. When we got there it was pouring hard. The DX was closed and nobody was inside. He lead me to the back and turned on some of the lights. "Here," he said handing me a shirt that was way to big for me. I went into the bathroom and changed. Hair grease and gum. It smelled just like him. When I went back out he had 2 cokes in his hand. Personally I hate coke, it tastes like tar. (not rly, I LOVE coke) I took the bottle and followed him to a bench. I set the bottle on a nearby table. The rain was getting stronger and I could hear the thuder. I shuddered. "Don't like the rain. Huh?" he said looking directly at me. "Nah, never have. Something about it unsettles me." He nodded and looked away. "So," he said breaking the five minute long silence, "What were you doing outside? Especially on a rumble night."

"I needed to clear my head." I answered quickly. He muttered a quiet oh. "What was wrong the other night?"

"You sure do ask a lot of questions. I was reminded of something, is all."

"What was it?" he asked quickly. "I mean you don't have to tell me." I sat for a while. I was about to tell my whole life's story to a boy I only met three times. I thought for a while. "I'll tell you, If you tell me why you looked so sad when you first saw me." He nodded, I took that as a yes. I sighed.

"When Noah and I were younger our mom died. And on occasions our dad would get drunk to hide his pain. He would come home drunk and angry. Noah always had some sport to play so I was home by myself. So my dad would take his anger out on me. He'd leave a couple of bruises here, a busted lip there. You know? Stuff that could be masked with a little make up. For a while the beatings stopped when Noah quit the teams. Probably some of the best times of my life. But that was only, I don't know, a month or two. Noah would sing me that song when we would wash off the dried blood. He told me mom would sing it to me when I wouldn't go to sleep. So when ever I sing it it reminds me of my mom, and that reminds me of the beatings." I was close to tears by the end. He sat there and let me dry sob for a while.

"Her name was Sandy" he said. I looked at him confused. "She was my ex girlfriend. I was gonna marry her. But she got pregnant by another and moved away. You looked like her and had a kid, so I thought..." he didn't have to continue. I wiped a loose tear.

"Well," I said patting his leg "who ever she was, she had to be stupid to give up such a sweet guy." I smiled at him. We stared at each other for what seemed like forever.

I leaned in. He leaned in. And our lips met. It was one of the softest, most tender kisses I have ever received. At that moment in knew two things. My name was Melinda Elizabeth Lacey (Aka Sugar) and I was completely in love with Sodapop Curtis.

**Sorry this took soooooo long. I broke my wrist and cudnt type. :) but it's better now and im back! Tell me what you think.**


	5. Chapter 5 S&S

**ANND! Im back, I had a project for English and it took ALL of my time away from me :(` anywhore! I missed you :3 and I have a chapter right here and it's all for YOU! No not you... yeeeessss YOU! Over there -. Kay cool :P on with this shizz! **

**ps: I do not own the outsiders, tht goes for all chaps before and after this one; (I will be adding to this chapter. Just bare with me.. Nd suggestions as far as a plot wud also help)**

_ I leaned in. He leaned in. And our lips met. It was one of the softest, most tender kisses I have ever received. At that moment in knew two things. My name was Melinda Elizabeth Lacey (Aka Sugar) and I was completely in love with Sodapop Curtis. _

"I'm sorry" I said looking down at my hands. "That was ummm... Yea." I didn't know what was wrong. I've never had trouble talking to guys. "It's ok" he said with a slight smile. I looked over at a clock hanging at the front. "So, yea. I'm going to go pick up Lilly," I said getting up from the couch and walking towards the door. "See you around?" I called over my shoulder. "Yea," he said dreamily "See ya'" I laughed and walked back out into the street. The rain had stopped but there were puddles lining the road. I was halfway to Josie's when I realized I still had on his jacket. I smiled down at it and sighed. O thought about him the rest of the way there.

I knocked on Josie's door and she let me in. "They're taking a sleeping. They wore me out," she said giving me a tired smile. I walked with Josie into Corin's room to get Lilly. I saw them curled up on the play mat with their stuffed animals having tea. It was somethin' special. I picked Lilly up trying to avoid waking her. I said a quick goodbye to Josie and walked home. When we finally got back Noah was on the couch. "Sugar! Where've you been?" he screamed from the place he was. I ignored him took Lilly into her room and put her down. I closed her door. When I got back into the living room I stared down at the man in drunken stupor called my brother. He was JUST like him. I glared at Noah and then rolled him onto the floor. "Oww – what da hell!" he yelled scrambling to find what had made him fall. "Sugar? What the – what'ya do that for?" he said sitting up and holding his head. "Look at yourself!" I screamed at him, "You're like a three year old the way you ranted and slurred, god! I feel like I have to watch you all the damn time!"

"Oh? You have to watch me! Sugar I'm the only reason you're not on the streets and Lilly isn't in foster care. So don't you DARE talk to me like I'm a kid!"

"Excuse me? The only reason YOU have a house is because I work my ass off while you're getting drunk and laying any broad you can bed."

"Oh don't act so innocent Sugar" he said my name like poison.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I said narrowing my eyes.

"Ha! I know you run around with that Soda kid. It's because you can't keep your legs closed! Is that where you were? Letting Curtis get in ya' pants?"

"Shut the hell up Noah,"

"Didn't you learn from your last mistake Sugar?"

That was it. I wasn't going to let anyone talk about my child. By then Lilly was awake and crying. I went back into Lilly's room and got her and her blanket. "Where are you going?" he asked as I passed him on my way out.

"None of you business," I said holding back tears. I walked until I could see Sugar and Spice in flashing letters. I was going to sleep in the backroom when I saw Sodapop.

"Hey Sugar! – wait what are you guys doing out so late?" he asked when he saw me.

"Um, Noah is –" He didn't let me finish. "Come on," he said taking Lilly from me. "You guys can stay at our house." I nodded and walked with him. I know you're thinking 'you just met him! Why would you go to his house?' I really didn't care about that. I just wanted Lilly inside. When we got to his house he just walked in and I followed. "Ummm, you and Lilly can have me and Pony's bed. We'll sleep out here." he said pointing upstairs. I looked over at Pony who gave me an encouraging nod. I smiled and took Lilly from Soda. He showed me their room. It was typical teenage boyish. Weights, posters, cars. I laid Lilly down and wrapped her in her blanket. I felt tears prickle my eyes. I turned to say thanks to Soda when I was pulled into a warm hug. He mumbled "it's OK." and left. I laid down next to my daughter. I pulled her closer to me and slowly drifted of staring at a picture of Soda and Pony fishing with the man that I assumed was their dad. He looked just like Soda. I smiled and was soon asleep.


	6. Chapter 6 S&S

I woke up to the Sun streaming down on my face. I put my arm over my eyes to shield them from the light. I rolled over and my nose went deep into the pillow I was laying on which smelled of motor oil and cologne. This wasn't my room. I quickly lifted my head up causing my hair to spew wildly across my face. I looked around me in a confused daze. It took me a few minutes to finally wake up and remember exactly where I was. I sighed remembering the events from the night before and turned to the spot where I had left Lilly. I couldn't hear her breathing so I put my hand where I knew she would be. Only, she wasn't there. I bolted upright and searched crazily in the covers for my little girl, pillows and covers flying everywhere. I ran my fingers through my hair, like I always do when I'm frustrated, and bounded off of the bed.

I pulled open the door and walked down the stairs slowly. When I got into the living room I heard voices coming from the kitchen. "Now Soda! You gots to put da butter in da pan before you can do the pancakes." It was her voice, tiny and innocent. I could hear the sizzle of the butter as it hit the pan. I continued to walk until I got to the entranceway. "Darlin' did you know that chocolate chips makes them magic?" He said with his eyes twinkling at the smiling little girl. "Magic? Nuh-uh" she said shocked and unbelieving. "Sure does, makes everything sweeter and happier" He gave her that amazing smile and handed her the bag of chips and bent down with the bowl in his hand. She squealed and dumped about half of the damn thing in the batter. I laughed as her tiny hands worked feverishly to mix in all the "magic" she possibly could. Soda picked her up and held her near the stove to pour the batter, but far enough so she wouldn't hurt herself. Mid pour she finally saw me.

"Mommy! We're making a stupor pancake!" She giggled as the whole bowl of batter fell into the pan. Soda took the bowl and set her on the ground. She ran to me and held up her batter covered finger. "Seeeee? Soda teached me how to put the stuffs in with the ingre-de-dents." She clapped her hands and giggled. Soda turned around and began flipping the pancake. He set the timer and then turned down the temperature. I grabbed a cloth that was hanging off of the counter and began wiping the substance from her hands and the bits on her face. Soda stood there watching us. "Hey Lilly," He said. She looked up at him and smiled. "Wanna watch cartoons?" He sounded like an excited kid himself. She pulled away from me and ran and jumped in his arms. He put her on his back and galloped into the living room. He neighed as he plopped her onto the couch. "Silly! You're not Pony, you're Soda."

"I can be a pony." He began tickling her excitedly. "Say, 'Soda, you're the best pony I ever did see'." She shook her head and he tickled her even more. She was in a fit of laughter and I couldn't help but chuckle at the scene before me. "Soda, you're the bestest pony I ever did see." She finally got the words out through her joy. He stopped and pulled her into a hug. "That's right." He sat her down and turned on the television.

"Uhh Soda," I said staring at him awkwardly with my hands in my back pockets. He smiled up at me. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" He gave Lilly the remote and followed me back into the kitchen. He pulled himself onto a counter and I leaned against the kitchen table. "Thanks."

"For?" He said rising and eyebrow. I looked at him quizzically. "This. Everything. Like helping me, us." I said looking at Lilly giggling at Bug Bunny. He rolled his eyes. "That's stupid; you don't have to thank me for that. Our house is always open." He got up and took the pancake out of the pan and set it on the counter. This boy was seriously refusing my thanks. "You have to accept it. The thanks I mean, you have to." I said staring at him. "No Sugar, I don't have to do anything." He smirked at me. "Yes you do, it's like common courtesy." I said folding my arms. He laughed and sighed. "Is this our first fight?" He came over to me and unfolded my arms. "Im sorry, I don't like being mad at you. Take me back? I won't stop until you do." He pulled me into a hug. I was so confused. I laughed "Okay Soda, I take you back." He gasped excitedly. "Oh thank you Sugar!" the shook me in his arms and pulled back. I laughed at how easy it was for him to turn something sincere into something hilarious. "You're somethin' else. You know that?" I said looking at the floor. "Yea I've been told" he said taking my chin into his hand. He leaned down and lightly kissed me. It made my stomach do back flips. Something I hadn't felt since I was in high school with my first love; Lilly's father. I leaned back from the kiss and put my forehead against his.

He coughed and pulled away. "Sorry." He said rubbing the back of his neck. "Um… no it's fine." I said just as awkwardly rubbing my arm. He got the pancake and set it on the table with the syrup. Lilly came bounding into the kitchen and sat at the table. She bounced up and down as Soda handed her a fork. "Soda," She asked looking up at him. He replied with a 'hmm?'

"Are you gonna leave us?" she looked up at him with her sad puppy dog eyes. He looked back at me then to her again. "Nope, never" he said taking her tiny hand into his rough one. "Good," she said tuning her attention back t the pancake. "Because I like you as my new daddy.'"


	7. Chapter 7 S&S

Autumn. The time for swirling leaves and crisp air. Reds, yellows, and golds that fade to brown litter the yards and parks. Sweaters to keep the chill away. Pumpkin flavored everything. Candy corn and hay rides. And sunshine, sweet and golden. I've been counting the seasons. I'm happy. That's it. I don't know why i thought that was so hard to do before.

My life is crazy, but there's always a reason to smile. Sodapop was my reason.

Have you ever had that feeling where you're extremely happy. Then you realize, you're you, and you're never this happy. That's how I felt. There was no way anything ever worked for me. So you can imagine my surprise when me and Soda made whatever "we" were, offical, and NOTHING went wrong. I felt it though, that quiet before a storm. The moment before everything turned. It felt like i was free falling into blackness, not exactly hurting, but i was scared.

Lily and I had been staying at the Curtis house for a while and finally felt at home somewhere. It was a month or two that we had been living there, that i had gotten a call from Noah.

"Hello?" i asked balancing the phone on my shoulder as i chopped the carrots for a stew. "Hey, Sugar?" He said into the line.

"Hey Noah, look before you start again, i'm not -"

"I ain't asking you to come home. Just stop by for a bit. I wanna see Lily."

I sighed, and put down the chopping knife. I crossed my arms and leaned on my hip. I ran my fingers through my hair and sighed, "okay Noah, i'll be there in a bit." I hung up the phone and scraped the carrots into the pot.

I walked into the livingroom and leaned on the door. Darry wasnt with the gang today, he had a roof to tile in the upper part of town. Lily and Two-bit were sitting on the floor watching Micky. It was strange how similar they were. Cartoon freaks, for one, but they always sat with a drink in hand. Of course two-bit with his beer and Lily with a juice pouch, but still, similar. Soda sat on the couch leaning over the coffee table to arm wrestle Steve. Johnny sat in the arm chair while Pony sat on the arm, they were looking into a car magazine. "Sugar, have you seen the new mustang? It's tuff." Johnny said, staring at the black and blue car. I laughed, "naw, i'm more of a cupcake kinda person. Not as noisy. Hey, Lily," i said taking a knee next to her. "Wanna go see uncle Noah?" She looked up at me and nodded excitedly. "Good, run and got get your jacket." I kissed her forehead and she an off into Sodas room.

"You're going to see Noah?" Soda said looking concerned. "Do you want me to come with y'all?" I snorted. "He's my brother Soda, he's not gonna kill me or nuthin'" He didnt look convinced. And his onlyresponse was a raised eyebrow. I walked over to him looked into his eyes. "I'll be fine,." I kissed him softly and he gave a small 'mkay'. I picked up Lily and said i'd be back in a few.

About twenty minutes later we arrived at Noah's house. I unbuckled Lily and walked her to the front porch. I opened the front door and followed my brothers voice to the living room. That as when i saw him.

Collin. My ex-boyfriend sat laughing with my older brother.

I remember being so, so heartbroken. The boy I knew in high school who came randomly into my life looked like a grown man. He'd given up not even a year post the birth of our kid. The boy who brought me so much joy in five short months before her, had broken my heart then gotten himself locked up afterwards.

He told me it was because of the things going on in his life. The issues with his parents. His sister. A death in the family. He seemed to have so much going on, so much to try and be strong through and he felt he couldn't give himself to a relationship, to a broad and a kid.

In the months afterwards, I cried, I moped, I cried some more, and then I was at peace. I had my daughter to be strong for. I understood why he did it and I understood it wasn't me. It wasn't me who was responsible.

"Collin" i said holding Lily to my leg.

"Hey, Mel" he said grinning. I watched him wearily. "What are you doing here? Thought you were doing time in the cooler?" He chuckled. "That's a way to great someone." He smirked and looked down at Lily, arms stretched outwards. "Come here baby. Come give daddy a hug." Lily hesitantly looked at me. "You're not my daddy. Soda is." She turned around and went behind my leg. "Yo got my kid calling another guy daddy!?" I cringed a bit.

"She has a name." I spat back, "and she chose to, plus she hasn't seen you since she learned to crawl. Can't really blame her." I said eyeing him. He sucked his teeth then sat back on the couch. I turned to Noah. "THIS is why you wanted me to come over?" I shook my head and scoffed. I picked up Lily and turned to leave. "Wait!" Noah grabbed my arm to stop me. "Just let her stay the night. Okay? You know how it feels to have a broken family. Just one night Sugar." I rolled my eyes. He was right. "One night," i said holding up one finger. "I'll come get her in the morning." He smiled at me, relieved. I sighed at him and handed Lily over. I kissed her forehead and told her she'd be staying at uncle Noahs for the night. She kissed my cheek and said "I wove you mommy." I said i loved her too and sent another glare towards Collin. When i got back into my car, i kept a blank face. It stayed that way all the way back to the house. I pulled up and looked at the small home, that had a warm glow to it. I felt warm tears sliding down my face. Not because i was sad, but because i was pissed off. I was happy, and NO one was going to ruin that for me.

**SOOOOOO! IM BACK.. HERE WAS A LIL SUMTHIN SUMTHIN... MORE TO COME..**


	8. Chapter 8 S&S

**SO HERE IS ANOTHER CHAPTER FOR YOU, IT'S FAIRLY LONG. I HAD TO CHANGE THE ENDING TO THE LAST CHAPTER, SO HEAD BACK TO READ THAT IF YOU DIDNT ALREADY. CAUSE IT NEEDED TO FIT INTO THIS CHAPTER... ND SO YEA! :D EN****JOY**

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><p>I woke up in a bigger room than Sodas. I got up and looked around, not recognizing anything that was in it. I went to the door and tried tugging on it. It wouldn't move, no matter how hard I pulled. "What the fuck?" I questioned, still in a half awake half sleep state.<p>

I gave another seemingly hopeless pull on the handle of the door, and to my surprise, it swung open.

I slowly stepped out of the doorway and looked around cautiously before walking as quietly as I could to the top of the stairs. I heard a T.V. on downstairs, but no voices. I moved my feet soundlessly down the stairs, keeping my head low until I got to the bottom.

A loud and obnoxious, but familiar voice came from the couch a few feet away.

"Don't worry, man. She'll be fine. She's gotta be waking up soon anyways," said the voice, I recognized to be Two-bits.

"Shouldn't we at least go check on her? What if she's sick?" Another softer voice chimed in, Ponyboy.

I was confused. Were they talking about me? How could they be acting like I was just a guest and I wasn't just locked in a room?

"See? She's awake!" Two-bits loud voice called, and I was instantly calmed. "You look like hell," he said, motioning towards my hair.

"I should be asking _you_." I looked over at Ponyboy. "This is _your_ house, isn't it? And I was just locked in one of your rooms."

Two-bit raised an eyebrow, then laughed and looked at Ponyboy. "He didn't tell her the door jams."

"He _who_?" It sounded more irritated than I had meant it to. He looked at me like I was crazy. "Your boyfriend, that's who. He just left, like, 5 minutes ago."

The previous night's events came flooding back to me.

"Oh, he put me in there?" I pointed up stairs.

Ponyboy answered this time, "Yea, found you in your car. You were sleeping, so he didn't have time to tell you that Darry took our mom and dad's old room down here, so that you and Soda could have his."

"I was screaming, though. I thought I had been kidnapped."

Two-bit stifled laughter, and then pointed to the T.V. where mickey mouse had been playing. Of course. How could I expect that boy's boy brain to focus on anything else?

I was pulling up the driveway when the door to Noahs house opened and Collin came jogging out to my car with Lily in his arms. I unlocked the door and rolled down my window. He pulled the door open,

"Hey baby," he said grinning and hooking Lily into her car seat. I rolled my eyes. "You're not allowed to call me that." His grin faded. "Why not?"  
>"Because were not together anymore." His expression became angry.<br>"Why not?" He repeated.  
>"Collin you aren't stupid," I said rolling my eyes again, "You know damn well why, now get away from my car." He bit his lip as if he was trying to keep himself from saying something. He tapped the top of my car and backed away. I sped off without looking back at him. "Did you have fun at Uncle Noahs?" I asked looking at Lily in the mirror. Her face beamed. "Yes! I missed him. He let me watch cartoons and daddy gave me a piggy back ride." She tossed her stuffed bunny in the air and it landed back on her lap. "Daddy?" I asked. She nodded, "Uncle Noah says that Cowin is my daddy and not to let anybody tell me overwise. But I like Soda as my daddy. Do you think he'll be mad at me?" She said on the verge of tears. I smiled, "No, Soda won't be mad at you." She wiped a straying tear and smiled up at me. "Good"<p>

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><p>"No Soda," I said cleaning off the counter.<p>

"Why not?" He said putting his hand on mine to stop me from cleaning.

"Because it's a waste of money, that's why."

"No, buying a star or somethin' is a waste of money."

"So is goin' out for no reason"

"It's one night, it won't hurt nothin'. ONE NIGHT!" He said pouting.

"I swear you look like a five year old. It's heart breakin." I said putting my hand on my chest.

"Enough to make you say yes?" He asked hopefully.

"Sure." I shrugged.

"Yes?"

"Yes" I sighed giving in. He wore the biggest grin I had ever seen. He quickly pecked me on the lips and walked out of the kitchen.

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><p>I called Josie to ask her to watch Lily for the night. I went over to drop Lily of but Josie refused to let me leave until she saw what I was wearing. She insisted on being there to help me get ready for my date. Like I'm not capable of dressing myself.<p>

I was in the bathroom brushing my hair, making sure each strand was doing what it was supposed to, and wearing only a black lacy bra and panties when Josie let herself into the room.

"Damn." She said, to the bathroom door. I raised an eyebrow. "I wish I was Soda tonight." She said bouncing on the bed.

I laughed. "Oh, shut up. It's just for under my dress."

"Riiiiight." I rolled my eyes at this and, finally done perfecting my hair, moved on to apply mascara to my already extremely long eyelashes.

She went to her closet and looked through the outfits I had to choose from as I did this. She pushed aside a red dress, a purple skirt, and a yellow sundress, muttering things like "too sexy, not sexy enough, and what the hell is this?" I guess she didn't like sundresses.

Finally, she gasped, and I, thinking she had found a spider or other terrifying creature, ran out. I found her admiring the dress I was leaning towards.

It was dark purple. At the top, it was form fitting, and then at the waist, it came out, flowing down to just below the knee with tulle. Josie waggled her eyebrows at me.

"I know," She said. "It's perfect, huh?" She jumped up and down excitedly and handed it to me, motioning for me to put it on. I took it off the hanger and slid into it, and then turned so Josie could zip it for me.

I looked in the mirror and took a deep breath. "Is this good enough, you think?" Josie stood beside me. "You look perfect. He's going to love you." She pulled me to the bed and gave me a worried look. "Why are you so nervous, Mel? You've been with him for a while."

I shrugged my shoulders. "I guess it's just weird being on the first actual DATE since Collin…" I trailed off, losing myself in my thoughts.

At first, I was afraid that I wouldn't be good enough for Soda. Not pretty or nice or funny or sexy enough. Not to mention I had kid. Collin made me feel like he settled for me. He preferred someone more like a girl we went to high school with, Katrina, Someone who was as raunchy and trampy as he was. Deciding I was looking way too far into it, I shook the thoughts from my mind. I stood up to finish getting ready, as I had to leave in ten minutes.

"It'll be fine. We'll have fun," I said this as much to reassure myself as I did to Josie.

I put a black jacket on over my dress and then slid my black heels on. Josie hugged me. "You look beautiful. You're going to have a great time tonight, and Soda's eyes are going to pop out of his head when he sees you. You deserve someone like him, not someone like Collin."  
>I smiled softly and hugged her back. Finally, it was time to go. "Walk me to the front lawn?" I was meeting Soda there before we headed to the restaurant.<p>

Soda was waiting by the fountain in front of the house, his back to us. I decided I should go to him on my own, so Josie and I said goodbye, her wishing me luck again, and I approached him.

**YEA, I ALREADY HAVE THE NEXT CHAPTER WRITTEN, SO IMA JUST UPLOAD IT NEOW. REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! :D**


	9. Chapter 9 S&S

**SEE! I PROMISED YOU A CHAPTER, AND HERE YOU GO!**

"Soda" He turned around when he heard his name and beamed at me

"Sugar! Hi! Wow, you look so… amazing." I smiled shyly, blushing as he kissed me on the lips.

"Thanks, Soda. So do you." He did, too. He wore a dark gray suit, with a white button down underneath and a cute little gray and white striped tie around his neck.

"Thanks. So, ready to go?" I nodded, and he led to the other side of the street and helped me into his truck.

A little while later, we pulled up to a park, fully equipped with a playground and all. I looked at him, confused. "I thought you said we were going out to dinner. At a restaurant."

He smiled, looking like he knew something I didn't. "Did I say restaurant? Oh… I meant picnic. In the park…" He watched my face, waiting to see my reaction to this little change of plans.

I couldn't help but laughing. "You want to have a picnic in the dark at a creepy park? Dressed like we are?"

He nodded, completely serious and got out of the car. I didn't know what else to do but do the same. "It's not dark." He said as he got a picnic basket out of the back seat and took my hand. Not in a romantic way, just leading. I appreciated his hand though, because at that point, I was really confused at the night's turn of events.

He set the basket down on a grassy area and went over to a street lamp. I was unsure of what he meant by it not being dark, since it was almost pitch black. The lamp was not on, and the only lights were dim ones coming from the stars and moon. He had something like a cord in his hand. He plugged it into the street lamp and suddenly, the playground lit up. Twinkling lights were wrapped around trees and the playground equipment. They draped from the slide to the swings and back again, making the whole park look like a beautiful winter wonderland, even though it was mid-August.

"Wow… That is really pretty." He had made his way back to me and was smiling brightly at my reaction.  
>"You like it?" He was spreading out a blanket onto the grass and pulling several containers out of the basket.<br>I nodded and sat carefully on the blanket when he motioned for me to.

"It's really beautiful out here at night. I still don't get why you told me to dress up though."

He laughed, and shrugged as he handed me a plate with what looked like take-out Chinese food. "It's fun to dress up, don't you think?"

I felt at ease with Soda. I could laugh and make jokes. He could tease me and I could tease back. It's like ever since we first met, we clicked. Nothing was as difficult as it was with Colln. It was simple and easy and a lot more fun than anything.

After we had put all the take-out containers back into the basket, Soda stood. He held out his hand to me and I took it curiously

"You're not going to ask me to dance, are you?"

He laughed. "Well, I was. Should I not?"

I shook my head. "You should not. Unless you want any hope of you actually liking me to vanish, because I cannot dance." He smiled warmly. "Sugar, I already actually like you. Even your bad dancing couldn't change that. So what could we do instead of dancing?"

"I don't want to go home. I mean, not yet. I'm having fun." I answered looking around the park.

"Well, What if we just, I don't know, played?" He looked like he was trying not to laugh, but he raised an eyebrow.

"Played?" I said giggling.

"Yeah, like go down the slide, swing, play tag, spin around in circles until we fall." This time, he did laugh. He made his way to the swings and I followed him, plopping down to one right next to him, and started to swing.

We laughed as we swung, seeing who could go higher. He kept winning, but mostly because I didn't want my dress to fly over my head. When I mentioned this, he said, "Oh, then you should definitely swing higher." I laughed. "Don't be such a guy." We continued laughing until he suggested we should jump off and see who could go further.

"On the count of three. One…two...three!"

We both jumped and I saw him stick his landing a few feet to my left and I tried to stick mine, but lost my balance as I landed, and fell towards him. He caught me quickly, before I hit the ground and pulled me vertical.

"You are such a klutz," he said between laughs.

"Hey!" I acted offended, but laughed with him. Finally the laughter died down. "Thanks for catching me." I said in a breathy voice.

He smiled and nodded. "Anytime."

"You know this was, like, the cheesiest date ever, right?"

He laughed and nodded and then turned onto his side as well. "Was it that bad?"

I shrugged, "It would've been, if I didn't like cheesy."

"You like cheesy? So the whole picnic and twinkly lights and star-gazing, you're good with that?" I nodded and he looked like he was considering this. He finally spoke.

"Point for Soda." He said simply. He leaned in a kissed me softly. His warm lips moved gently against mine as his arms slid around my waist. My hands were placed on his chest, running my fingertips down slowly. The kiss deepened, and he was gently laying my back against the blanket, his warm body moving over mine,

I finally pulled back to breath, but he wouldn't let our lips part completely. He touched his forehead to mine, our lips just barely brushing together as he breathed steadily against my lips, and I tried to catch my breath.

His gaze moved to meet mine and he whispered against my lips, "You are so beautiful." I smiled shyly, blushing again, which he responded to by smoothing his thumb over my reddening cheek softly.

He finally went to get up, offering me his hand again. Once we were both standing and had composed ourselves, we were packing up our picnic, and heading back to the car.

On the way back to the house, he held my hand in his. As he drove and we talked about completely random, unimportant things. We pulled into the driveway and he turned to look at me.

"Not a waste of money?" He asked grinning.

"Not a waste of money."

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><p><span><strong>DID YOU LIKE IT? WAS IT AS ADORABLE AS I HOPED IT WOULD BE!? I WONT KNOW HOW YOU FEEL UNTIL YOU REVIEEEEEEEEEEW<strong>


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